According to SSPC, these certifications will replace programs previously used by IMM. All participants in the programs will meet the same prerequisites as in the United States. Also as part of the agreement, SSPC says, IMM will translate the SSPC materials into Bahasa Malaysia.

Petronas, the national oil company of Malaysia, has already included SSPC C7 and C12 in its paint specifications, according to SSPC. Craftworkers on Petronas projects in Malaysia are required to be certified by either IMM or SSPC; under a transition program, workers who have been previously certified under IMM will be certified with SSPC over the next few years.

Similar Goals, Easy Alignment

“We are excited to formalize this agreement with IMM,” said SSPC executive director Bill Worms. “The synergy between our organizations and our similar goals to train and educate the industrial coatings workforce made the idea of aligning our programs relatively easy.”

Under the agreement, six SSPC certifications will be available in Malaysia through IMM.

“We have been discussing this possibility with SSPC for some time,” added En. Mohamad Azmi Mohd Noor, president of IMM. "It’s a great opportunity to bring such widely recognized programs to the workforce in Malaysia. We look forward to a long relationship between our organizations.”

The signing ceremony was held at the Malaysian Petroleum Club in Kuala Lumpur City Centre on Friday, March 17. Guests in attendance included En. Chen Kah Seong, vice president, Centre of Excellence, Development and Production, Petronas Upstream, and SSPC board member Mana Al Mansour, chairman of Saudi Aramco Coating Standards Committee and SSPC Saudi Chapter chairman.

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